Since we’re more than halfway through 2015, I thought it would be a great time to look back on what’s happened in the last seven months.

As I peruse the list of restaurants I’ve reviewed since January, it becomes evident that it’s been a really good year. My Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants came out in May, and five of the places I reviewed this year made that list: Oso in Sonoma; The Progress; Mourad; Hawker Fare; Liholiho Yacht Club and Al’s Place, all in San Francisco.

Since that list was published, I’ve also found five restaurants that are deserving of a spot in the next guide. Three are new, and two are the result of Updates of previously reviewed restaurants.

When I write my top 10 restaurants of the year I am sure that Octavia will be at the top of the list. This is the second restaurant opened by Melissa Perello, who developed a cultlike following at Frances in the Castro. For this restaurant she moved to Pacific Heights and took over the spot that at one time held Quince and most recently was the home to Baker & Banker.

A close contender will be Trestle, which is the follow-up to Stones Throw. In this restaurant the owners feature a three-course menu, with two choices in each category. The offerings changes nightly, but it is always priced at $35. Given the quality of the preparation and the handsome interior, it’s the best value restaurant to open in several years.

Another restaurant that offers diners a bargain in our ever price-escalating dining scene is Belga, which took over the spot of Café Des Amis on Union Street. It serves Belgian food, and I’m always in for the sausage, the fries, Belgian waffles and the beer — particularly the sour selections. It’s owned by Adriano Paganini, who also was part of Pesce, Beretta, Lolinda and other places including Star Belly.

Last year I reviewed Alta CA, which is Daniel Patterson’s new restaurant across street from the Twitter building in the increasingly popular Mid Market area. A new chef, David Goody, has given the menu a more refined approach. You can still find the pastrami and pierogi with various fillings, and other things like a deconstructed beef stroganoff with oyster mushrooms, fava leaves and dill spaetzle.

And as if to show that everything old is new again, I returned to Bix, which has always been one of my favorite restaurants and is one of the few places that has consistently offered well-prepared food and live music. A new chef Emmanuel Eng has helped chef/owner Bruce Hill focus the menu. While he continues to do the popular dishes such as chicken hash and lobster spaghetti, he’s adept at more modern dishes such as the ceviche a la minute and duck breast with Pastis-braised fennel.

As our dining culture continues to become more beer- and cocktail-centric, new restaurants are beginning to add live entertainment. The most prominent example is the reopening of Café du Nord, where at the Viking Room, Thomas McNaughton of Flour+Water features live music every night and a short menu that includes an heirloom tomato salad, cioppino and chicken cooked under a brick. I’ll be reviewing that restaurant on August 16.

Another example of this trend is Starline Social Club in Oakland where the owners of the Top 100’s Ramen Shop took over a century-old building and have a bar and restaurant downstairs and a large ballroom-like event space upstairs. The entertainment changes nightly; on my visit it was a DJ. It’s as much of an attraction as the food prepared by Austin Holey, who has worked at Boot & Shoe Service and most recently was a sous chef at Bones in Paris. He prepares a short menu that includes squid with corn and padron peppers and shortribs with cranberry beans and squash succotash.